On 1 Feb 2006 15:29:38 -0800, "Father Haskell"
> wrote:

>
>mikehende wrote:
>> Appreciate the links Peter but I am looking for something that will sharpen
>> the knife for me, I apologize for not having mentioned that in my original
>> post. Does anyone know if the "electric" sharpeners like this one
>>
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/CHEFS-CHOICE-110...QQcmdZViewItem
>>
>> is effective enough? Or is it worthwhile at all to buy an electric
>> sharpener?
>
>It's effective, but so is a hand-held "wand" type diamond sharpener.
>600 grit is plenty aggressive for the small amount of metal you'll
>have to remove 1 or 2 times per year at most, yet leaves a smooth
>finish. Get a regular steel and use it every time you use the knife.
>The edge will improve as you burnish and pack the knife steel,
>at least until some idiot uses a china plate as a cutting board.
I missed the original post, but it sound like you are trying to
sharpen a "cleaver." The Chef's Choice will sharpen most kitchen
knives, but it may not be suitable for a thick heavy cleaver. If you
are actually trying to sharpen a cleaver-shaped Chinese chef's knife,
it will work fine.

Personally, I use an Edge Pro professional model. It works great for
almost anything, and it will sharpen "real" cleavers with no
difficulty. The less expensive Apex model may not be able to sharpen
something as wide as a cleaver.

See http://edgeproinc.com/information.htm

Edge Pro is a small company, and they are terrific to deal with.

Though I am also a wordworker and a big fan of cabinet scrapers, I am
not a big proponent of using a steel on kitchen knives. A steel will
not sharpen a dull knife, and if used improperly will do more harm
than good.

Whenever I notice that one of my knives is not razor sharp, I give it
a few swipes with a ceramic rod. If that doesn't do the trick, I get
out the Edge Pro and do the job right.

Cheers,

Leonard